Cutting device for fruits and vegetables, preferably onion

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a cutting device for fruit and vegetables, preferably onions, and includes a cutting member ( 2 ) having intersecting knife blades ( 3, 4 ) or parallel knife blades ( 4 ) forming a grid, and a counter pad ( 5 ), against which the cutting member ( 2 ) can be pushed in the process cutting the onion ( 6 ) at issue. The counter pad ( 5 ) is constituted by a cutting-board ( 8 ) having a centrally located cutting member ( 2 ) and which via a joint in the shape of a hinge ( 7 ) is swingingly connected to the cutting-board ( 8 ) to allow the knife blade grid to carry out a swinging movement in the direction down towards the cutting edge and one onion ( 6 ) in position thereon. Within the area substantially coinciding with the area of the knife blade grid the cutting-board ( 8 ) exhibits a plurality of projections ( 9 ) supporting the onion ( 6 ) and intended to penetrate the openings or cavities ( 10 ) of the knife blade grid when the cutting member ( 2 ) is in a completely down-tilted position above the cutting-board ( 8 ).

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting device for fruit andvegetables, preferably onions, comprising a cutting member havingintersecting or parallel knife blades forming a grid, and a counter padagainst which the cutting member can be pushed thereby effecting acutting up of the onion at issue.

[0002] The usual method today for cutting onions is to use a knife andat the same time hold the onion with the fingers of the one hand andsuccessively moving it along the onion which is thereby cut up toslices. The fingertips are then used to hold and to displace the onion.Especially a person not experienced to this procedure can easily get hisfingers cut. In the market there are also available a number ofdifferent mechanical devices for onion cutting but it has turned outthat their production costs are high and that the handling and cleaningof them is difficult.

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a cuttingdevice, particularly for onions, of a new type which does eliminate theabove-mentioned drawbacks simultaneously facilitating the cuttingapproaches and making it convenient to perform. The featurescharacterizing the invention are set out in the patent claims.

[0004] Thanks to the invention there has now been provided a cuttingdevice for fruit and vegetables which is especially suitable for onioncutting and which in a very safe and simple way performs the cuttingprocess. It has turned out that this cutting device does in an excellentmanner satisfy its purposes and also that it can simply be manufacturedat a low cost. Thanks to its simplicity the cutting device can alsoconveniently be dished and kept clean because it does consist of twoparts only which are pivotably connected with each other by means of ahinge. The part of the device which is adapted to support the onion isconstituted by a cutting-board which can be placed i.e. on a table. Inthis device the cutting member is pivotably mounted on the cutting-boardso that when used it can perform a swinging movement down towards thecutting-board and to an onion placed thereon so that the latter can besliced. To obtain a high quality cutting process the cutting-boardexhibits a plurality of projections which are to support the onionproperly and which penetrate the openings in the grid which the knifeblades form. This occurs during the final phase of the cutting process,when the knife blades move pass the lower portion of the onion andpenetrate into the grooves running between the projection whereby acomplete cutting of the onion is achieved.

[0005] A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below withreference to the drawings

[0006]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic cross sectional lateral view showing acutting device according to the invention which has its cutting memberin an upper position and the onion to be cut placed on its supportsurface of the pad constituted by a cutting-board;

[0007]FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of the cuttingdevice shown in FIG. 1, as appearing when the cutting member has beenpushed down into the onion and cut into pieces. The onion can thenconveniently be pushed off the cutting-board;

[0008]FIG. 3 is a top view illustrating the cutting-board including thearea which shows as a counter pad and comprises the projections on whichthe onion is to be placed; and

[0009]FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic top view of the cutting member.

[0010] As appears from the drawings this preferred embodiment of theinvention is constituted by a cutting device 1 for vegetables or fruit,especially onions, the device comprising a cutting member 2 having knifeblades 3, 4 intersecting each other or parallel to each other so as toform a grid. According to an alternative embodiment the knife blades areoriented so that they are parallel in one direction only. Irrespectiveof whether the knife blades 3, 4 cross each other or are parallel theyare adapted to cooperate with a counter pad 5 when the cutting member 1is pushed into the onion 6 for the purpose of cutting it into pieces.

[0011] The cutting device 1 has two main parts, namely the cuttingmember 2 proper and the above-mentioned counter pad 5. Those parts arepivotably interconnected via a hinge 7. The counter pad 5 is constitutedby a cutting-board 8 which when used is to be placed on a flat tablesurface and to which the cutting member 2 is swingably connected via thehinge 7 to make it possible for the cutting member 2 to carry out aswinging movement downwards towards the cutting-board 8 and an onion 6in position thereon.

[0012] When the cutting member 2 has been completely pushed down abovethe cutting-board 8 and the onion 6 resting thereon the onion will becompletely divided thanks to the fact that the cutting-board 8 has avariability of projections 9 which extend out from the cutting-board 8 adistance substantially corresponding to the height of the knife blades3, 4. When the cutting member 2 has completely penetrated thecutting-board 8 the upper portion of the knife blades 3, 4 are on thesame level as the upper portions of the projections 9 and with the otherportions of the cutting-board top surface so that a ready-cut onionconveniently can be pushed off the cutting-board 8 upon the cuttingoperation.

[0013] The projections 9 form a pattern which corresponds to that of theknife blades 3, 4 on the cutting member 2 and have a cross sectionalshape substantially corresponding to the shape defined by the knifeblades 3, 4 defining the openings or cavities 10 in the cutting member.The height of the knife blades 3, 4 in the cutting member 2 is slightlyless than the height of the projections 9 whereby there is formed theabove-menti6ned flat surface when the cutting member 2 has beencompletely tilted down over the cutting-board 8.

[0014] The cutting member 2 is constituted by a board or plate having athrough opening 11 in its central portion where the knifes 3, 4 form agrid in the shape of intersecting or parallel knifes the verticalextension of which roughly corresponds to the knife height on thecutting-board 8.

[0015] According to the preferred embodiment the knife blade grid actingas knifes 3, 4 have square openings or cavities 10 the size of whichcould be about 4×4 mm up to 6×6 mm, the height being around 4-10 mm.

[0016] According to an alternative embodiment the knifes 3,4 can be ofdifferent height or width and their edge can exhibit saw teeth.

1. A device for cutting fruit and vegetables particularly onions,comprising a cutting member (2) with intersecting knife blades (3, 4) orparallel knife blades (4), forming a grid, and a counter pad (5) againstwhich the cutting member (2) can be pushed, in the process of cuttingthe onion (6), said counter pad (5) being constituted by a cutting-board(8) exhibiting a centrally oriented cutting member (2) which by means ofa joint in the shape of a hinge (7) is pivotably connected with thecutting-board (8) to allow its knife blade grid to carry out a swingingmovement directed downwards to the cutting-board (8) and towards anonion (6) placed thereon, the cutting-board (8) having within the area,essentially coinciding with the extent of the knife blades, a pluralityof projections supporting the onion (6), characterized in that theprojections (9) form a pattern corresponding to the knife blades (3, 4)on the cutting member (2), and have cross sectional shape substantiallycorresponding to the shape defined by the knife blades (3, 4) on thecutting member (2), including openings or cavities (10), saidprojections (9) being intended completely to penetrate the openings orcavities (10) in the knife blade grid when the cutting member (2) is inits fully down-tilted position above the cutting-board (8), the heightof the knife blades (3, 4) being slightly less than that of theprojections (9) so that, when the cutting member (2) is in itsdown-tilted position, a flat surface is obtained.
 2. A device accordingto claim 1, characterized in that the knifes (3, 4) have different broaddimensions and exhibit an edge having saw teeth.
 3. A device accordingto claim 1, characterized in that the cutting member (2) is constitutedby a board having in its central portion a through opening (10) in whichthe knife grid is located with a vertical extension substantiallycorresponding the height of the board or the thickness and height of theprojections (9).
 4. A device according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe knife blade grid exhibits square openings or cavities (10) the sizeof which is about 4×4 mm up to 6×6 mm, their height being around 4-10mm.